In the past couple of years, I've come to see that the biggest challenge of the Christian life is to truly believe what the Bible teaches us about God and about our identity in Christ. Every act of sin stems from some disbelief and consequential effort to look out for ourselves our own way. The fight to truly believe in the beautiful truthes regarding all that God has supplied us with in Christ is so difficult. One huge asset that God has given us for this fight, however, is our imagination. I've been reading Sight-Shift, by Chris McAlister, and chapter 14, on imagination and scripture, has helped me to understand this.
I've noticed that I can spend hours in God's word in the morning, but the thing that most reliably results in my experiencing victory in my Christian walk during the day, is if I take even a very short amount of time to pray through each activity and interaction that I expect (or don't expect) to have that day. And obviously this is due to the powerful way God works through prayer, but I think it is also a testiment to the way God works through the imagination He designed us to possess. In imagining the way God could enable me to live victoriously during each part of my day, I train my brain to think correctly regarding the abundance of God's grace for me. And as McAlister points out, you can never out-imagine God's goodness to you regarding your identity in Christ.
Case in Point:
As a super shy/introverted person, it is hard for me to get motivated about stepping outside of myself and my fears to initiate conversation with Spanish speakers I meet on the street or in a store. Why this is such a fearful thing for me, I don't know, but through prayer and imagination, I've been able to experience some small victories. Rather than just praying in general terms that God would help me to be a light for Him, I have prayed specifically that God would help me to be outgoing and fearless like the extroverted missionaries I admire so much. I prayed specifically that as I enter the Bodega (a little convenient store) down the street, that I would have courage to shamelessly strike up a conversation in my limited Spanish vocabulary. And guess what?? I did! God did give me courage, and it was so encouraging to experience His grace that way. Now I have a new friend down the street who I can't communicate with all that much yet, but she always has a sweet smile for menow, and in a city of so much unfamiliarity, that always lifts my spirits so much.
I think that often we Christians limit our own spiritual growth by refusing to imagine the possibilities of how God would enpower us. We ask for help in general terms but allow fear to keep us from asking Him to enable us to be what we really would like to be for Him. We think, "I could never do that." If you find yourself in that place, I encourage you to try utilizing your imagination a bit. Remember, God's grace for you is greater than you could ever imagine, so why not dream a bit?
- Laura
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